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French and Indian War Ends
The Seven Years’ War (called the French and Indian War in the colonies) lasted from 1756 to 1763. In the early 1750s, France’s expansion into the Ohio River valley repeatedly brought it into conflict with the claims of the British colonies, especially Virginia. -
Navigation Acts
The Navigation Acts were a series of decrees enacted by the British Parliament to protect their trade with members of the British Empire. Under the order of King George III, these policies said that high value items, including tobacco, tea, sugar, cotton, and wool could only be sold to England or its colonies, preventing trade with other countries and increasing the trade value of these items. -
The Stamp Act
The Stamp Act of 1765 was the first internal tax put directly on American colonists by the British Parliament. The act, which imposed a tax on all paper documents in the colonies, came at a time when the British Empire was deep in debt from the Seven Years' War (1756-63) and looking to North American as a source of revenue. -
The Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was a deadly riot that occurred on March 5, 1770, on King Street in Boston. It began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated to a bloody slaughter. The conflict paved the way for the American Revolution. Five people died in total. -
The Tea Act
The Tea Act of 1773 was one of several measures imposed on the American colonists by the British government in the decade leading up to the Revolutionary War. The act’s main purpose was to help out The East India Company. The British government granted the company a monopoly on the importation and sale of tea in the colonies. The colonists were not happy with the amount of tax on tea and decided to do something about it. -
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest in Boston, Massachusetts. American colonists were frustrated and angry at Britain for imposing “taxation without representation,” dumped 342 chests of tea, imported by the British East India Company into the harbor. The event was the first major act of defiance to British rule over the colonists. -
The First Continental Congress
From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from twelve of the thirteen colonies (Georgia), met in 1774 in reaction to the Coercive Acts. -
The Coercive/Intolerable Acts
The Coercive Acts were a series of four acts established by the British government. The aim of the legislation was to restore order in Massachusetts and punish the colonists for the “Tea Party”. -
The Second Continental Congress
In 1775, the Second Continental Congress met after the American Revolutionary War had already started. In 1776, it declared America’s independence from Britain. -
Lexington and Concord
The Battles of Lexington and Concord started the Revolution. Tensions had been building for a long time between residents of the 13 colonies and the British authorities, especially in Massachusetts. On the night of April 18, 1775, hundreds of British troops marched from Boston to nearby Concord. Paul Revere and other riders sounded the alarm. -
Declaration of Independence Adopted
The Declaration of Independence was the first formal statement by a nation’s people asserting their right to choose their own government. Thomas Jefferson wrote the declaration of Independence which outlined a list of grievances against the British. -
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The Battle of Saratoga
The Battle of Saratoga was during the second year of the American Revolution. It included two crucial battles, fought eighteen days apart, and the Continental Army won and it was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. -
Winter at Valley Forge
The encampment of General George Washington’s Continental Army at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777-1778 was another major turning point in the American Revolutionary War. While conditions were notoriously cold and harsh and provisions were in short supply, it was at the camp that George Washington proved himself. -
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The Battle of Yorktown
When British army surrendered to George Washington’s American army and our French allies. The outcome marked the conclusion of the last major battle of the American Revolution and the start our independence. It also built up Washington’s reputation as a great leader and his election for first president of the United States. -
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U.S Constitution Written
The Constitution of the United States established America’s national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for the citizens. At the 1787 convention, delegates devised a plan to make stronger federal government with three branches(executive, legislative and judicial)along with a system of checks and balances to ensure no branch had too much power. -
U.S Constitution Adopted
Nine states were required to ratify the Constitution so, the Federalists started collecting votes. Four small states(Delaware, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut) quickly ratified the document.
